Reviews

"On their first album together, the members of “Nadishana Trio” bring to the recording studio an original repertory that has been captivating audiences for more than four years of performances in prestigious venues and festivals. What has been forged through collective interactions, now becomes an original concept that captures the spirit of their fruitful kinship.

Vladiswar Nadishana, the founder of the project, is a multidisciplinary Siberian artist with a deep knowledge of ethnomusicology, playing more than 100 instruments. He is joined by master percussionist Steve Shehan, a legendary world music innovator, member of the famous Hadouk Trio, and bass player Armin Metz, versed in different styles, from electronica, pop, to world fusion. The title of the album is a suggestive metaphor of their creative road map: "Far" is geographical distance, but also it is about traditions, a journey to an ancient time when music was evolving as a fundamental ingredient of human culture, while "Near" evokes spatial closeness, neighborhood, the fresh modernistic flavor intersected with its “Far” counterpart.

The variety of the musical themes and instruments we hear is impressive. There are original compositions along with skilled solos contributed by all three multi –instrumentalists who distill and blend layers of “Far” and “Near” in a polychromatic panoply composed of a wide array of influences and sources. We are taken to explore a world of harmonies infused by a cross-cultural symbiosis that resonates with the innermost chords of the soul.
Flowing happily like a mountain spring, the invigorating “Water song”, opens the journey. As the musical flow progresses we pass through a mysterious “Hidden Door”, reaching the “Vast lands” of the “Sanskar Valley”, charmed by a mellow “Overtone story” , before “Riding north” surrounded by the dark melodious voice of the bass.

Then comes the silky “Far and Near”, a melody you wish it never ends, and the ritual-like “Kuzhebarsko Horo” reminiscent of ancestral East-European circle dances. The inspiration flies high when the adventure slows pace with the delicate oriental beauty of the “Urhat”, in which Nadishana’s sensuous kaval narrates an emotional intense melody. In tune with him, Armin Metz weaves rich bass tones, swirling like a snake made of velvet sounds, while sound wizard percussionist Steve Shehan radiates lights and shadows, whispers and silence, deepening the mystery.

But “Far&Near” is also an enriching sonic experience for listeners, as the album showcases a rich variety of percussion , woodwind and chords instruments of different origins, some of them invented by the musicians themselves . It is a momentary return to the sources of music when the humanity was closer to the nature than today. At the end of this fabulous journey, the three fellow storytellers leave us enchanted by the pure joy they shared with passion and virtuosity all along the way. From every angle, “Far and Near” is a vivid illustration of Longfellow’s words: “Music is the universal language of mankind."

Echoes of the Kuzhebar

One of the most interesting world fusion collaborations this year is the Nadishana Trio. The band brings together three renowned virtuoso musicians from different parts of the globe: Siberian multi-instrumentalist Nadishana (Vladiswar Nadishana), American percussionist Steve Shehan and German bass player Armin Metz. Their new album is titled Far&Near.

Although all the pieces are original global fusion works by Nadishana, Metz and Shehan, Far&Near is inspired by the ancient Kuzhebar civilization of southern Siberia, near the Sayan Mountains. Nadishana and Shehan illustrate the pieces with an impressive array of musical instruments, some of which are new creations.

The trio sounds organically cohesive, with beautifully composed pieces as well as segments of improvisation and solos. Nadishana crates fascinating exotic sounds with numerous musical instruments, some of which may not sound familiar because he created them himself or are modifications of traditional musical instruments. These include the dzuddahord, hybrid kaval, futujara, hu-lu-si, bansuri, duclar, khomus, utar, tambujira, 1 tone drum, mouthbow, and various percussion sounds.

Far&Near is a mesmerizing collection of new global fusion pieces performed by three accomplished musicians on traditional and marvelous new musical instruments. The CD version comes in digipak with an embossed cover and detailed liner notes.